libuamw's "Rcpoiel. 



TO THE COMMITTEE FOR THE YEAR ENDING 

 SEPTEMBER 29th, 1909. 



-^>A^y 



The time has once more oome round for the presentation of my 

 Annua,! Report. It becomes increasingly difficult for me to say 

 a.nything fresh on the ordinary working of the Institution, 

 particularly as I report to you month by month on all important 

 matters, and I can do little more than point out the most note- 

 worthy results summarised in the accompanying tables. 



As regards the work in the Library, the year has been one of 

 progress. The total issues recorded reach nearly 170,000. On 

 many days they reached 1,000, and on two occasions they were 

 above 1,200, while the daily average the year through has been 

 624 in the Lending Library, and 25 in the Reference, and in ad- 

 dition to the last-mentioned figures, there are a great number of 

 issues which are not recorded as a number of the most useful refer- 

 ence books have been placed on the counter for free consultation. 

 This experiment has been a successful one, and I believe is much ap- 

 preciated, although, unfortunately, three books were stolen during 

 its early stages. I am glad to report that we have had no case of 

 theft now for nearly six months, and I hope we may continue 

 free. The small number of books lost or untraoed during the year 

 speaks well for the excellence of the syste^m now in use and the 

 accuracy of the staff, and the results of both annual and inter- 

 mediate stock-takings have been very satisfactory. The number 

 of books passing through the binder's hands duiing the year has 

 been 3,297, of which 707 have been re-bound, and the Library as 

 a whole is in a satisfactory state of repair. It would be still better 

 if all the paper used in bookmaking were of uniform good quaJity, 

 which is far from beinsr the case. Tlie statistics of clerical work. 



